DOCOMO Capital, the venture arm of Japanese mobile phone operator NTT Docomo Inc., has invested an undisclosed amount in Silicon Valley startup Cooliris.

This strategic investment will strengthen Cooliris' presence in the Japanese market and accelerate the global penetration of its mobile media applications.

Cooliris makes photo sharing and discovery apps for both Apple's iPhones and smartphones that run Google's Android system.

"Consumers are keen to enjoy apps that enable a rich experience in their everyday mobile communications," said Eisuke Miki, President and CEO of DOCOMO Capital. "Cooliris is an innovative company that has profound expertise in visual communications. We are pleased to participate in the financing round as a new strategic investor."

Cooliris did not reveal the size of the investment but said it was coming out with redesigned photo sharing apps for mobiles soon.

Cooliris started as a service to view photo and video content on the Web in a more visually appealing "3D Wall," but branched out to start AdJitsu and a photo-sharing app called LiveShare.